Crime Editor

A Pakistani imam, charged with conducting the alleged "marriage" of a 12-year-old girl, is being held at Villawood detention centre after the sponsorship of his visa was cancelled.

Riaz Tasawar, 35, had been working with an Islamic centre and mosque in the Hunter region "on and off" since 2009, police said.

Mr Tasawar, who had been on bail, is now being held by the Department of Immigration at Villawood.

Child-abuse detectives allege Mr Tasawar performed a "marriage" ceremony involving the girl and a 26-year-old Lebanese man in the Hunter Valley this year.

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Detectives arrested Mr Tasawar at Parramatta police station this month and charged him with solemnisation of a marriage by an unauthorised person.

Police will allege the imam conducted the Islamic ceremony after he was approached by the 26-year-old man who was visiting Australia.

The victim's father allegedly consented to the "marriage" and allowed the ceremony to take place in his home on January 12.

He then allegedly allowed his daughter and the 26-year-old to move to south-west Sydney.

It is understood the imam made frequent trips from Australia to Pakistan since 2009.

Mr Tasawar was due to appear before court again in April but a spokesman for NSW Police said that the matter would be brought forward to March 4 because of the visa cancellation.

Police arrested the 26-year-old on February and charged him with 25 counts of having sexual intercourse with a child between January 1 and February 4 this year.

The accused had been living in Australia on a student visa and attending university. It is understood he had no ties with the town he was living in but met the underage victim through a local mosque.

The girl's father was charged last week with accessory before the fact of sexual intercourse with a child aged 10 to 14 years and procuring a child under the age of 14 for unlawful sexual activity. He was refused bail in Newcastle Local Court.